Removable clinker cooler grate plates and support frame therefor



Dec. 1, 1970 D W JR" ETAL 3,53,413

REMOVABLE CLINKER COOLER GRATE PLATES AND SUPPORT FRAME THEREFOR Filed D60- 18, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HAP/8y 0. HUM/5M, m.

Dec.1,1970 WELLQJR p 3543,13

REMOVABLE CLINKER COOLER GRA'IE PLATES AND SUPPORT FRAME THEREFOR Filed Dec. 18, 1968 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,543,413 REMOVABLE CLINKER COOLER GRATE PLATES AND SUPPORT FRAME THEREFOR Harry D. Howell, Jr., Colton, and William J. Gillman, Apple Valley, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Hanford Foundry Company, San Bemardino, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Dec. 18, 1968, Ser. No. 784,792 Int. Cl. F26b 9/00 US. Cl. 34-164 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A simplified structure for holding cast alloy steel grate plates on a supporting frame in a movable type cement clinker cooler assures long life because of freedom from warping of the grate plates. The grate plates are provided with down-turned flanges and a rigidifying grid understructure, with maximum cooling by air ducts through the plates. The plates are held on the unitary cast steel support frame by horizontally disposed pin means, with half the plate surface cantilevered over the adjoining down stream plate. The simplified means for attachment of the plates to the frame facilitates removal and replacement of defective plates.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is important in the manufacture of portland cement that the several parts of the equipment which are subjected to high temperature be capable of functioning for very long periods of time because of the great expense of shutdowns of the whole cement-making plant when any unit ceases to function, or alternatively when any particular part ceases to function but is capable of being repaired with only a partial shutdown of the entire plant.

In the practised art, one cause for shutdown of the entire plant is the malfunctioning of the clinker cooler due to the warpage of the metal frames having projecting supporting fingers which support individual grate plates, or the burning off of the outer ends of the fingers, by which, in either circumstance, the surface of the cooler plate floor becomes uneven, the grate plates tilt and produce openings through which the clinker falls, and through which the cooling air distribution becomes irregular. These problems are largely overcome by this invention because the unitary cast steel frame and the air cooled alloy steel reinforced grate plates attached thereto and cantilevered over the plates in the next cross row without supporting fingers, give long life without substantial warping. When occasion does arise when a grate plate must be replaced, a partial shutdown and partial cooling of the cooler permits the easy replacement of individual plates because of the simplicity of the attachment means used to hold the plates on the frame.

The prior art is represented by Gaffney US. Pat. No. 2,431,799, and by Gillman Pats. 3,374,553 and 3,388,481.

SUMMARY The principal object of the invention is to provide a clinker cooler structure including reinforced grate plates which have much longer life without warping, and which can be maintained for long periods of time, with a minimum of shutdowns, or partial shutdowns, of a cement clinker cooler.

Another object is to provide in a cement clinker cooler a simplified assembly of grate plates on their supporting frames which permits rapid replacement of damaged or defective grate plates.

"ice

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a grate plate support showing means of attachment of the grate plates;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1;

dFIG. 3 is a perspective view of the crescent key 35; an

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an alternative means for attachment of a grate plate to the support means.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, particularly FIG. 1 the unitary support frame 11 consists of two spaced apart beam members 12 and 13 having vertically disposed stiffener members 14 between them. The support frame 11 extends across the cooler and supports a plurality of grate plates 16 in side by side abutting relation, the ends of the support frame being supported along the longitudinal walls of the cooler structure. The upper edge of the rear beam 12 is elevated above the upper edge of the forward beam 13, and notches 18 to receive the flanges 19 of adjacent grate plates 16 are provided. The stiffener members 14 are disposed adjacent the notches 18 and the top edge surfaces of the stiifeners are at the same elevation as the bottom 21 of the notches 18 as well as even with the top edge surface 17 of the forward beam 13. Holes 30 to receive the positioning pins 28 and the holding pins 31 on the grate plates 16 are provided respectively in the forward beam 13 and the rear beam 12 of the support frame 11.

The grate plates 16 consist of the base plate 23, which has a smooth upper surface, and orifices 24 for the cooling air which is delivered below the plates. On the under side of the grate plates 16 there are depending reinforcing flanges 25 at the side margins, and at the front edge 26, the latter serving as a pusher to move the clinker forwardly on the corresponding grate plate in the next succeeding row of grate plates. The side flanges 25 rest upon the top edge surface 17 of the forward beam 13, of the top edge surface of the stiffener members 14 and the bottom surface 21 of the notches 18 in the rear beam 12. Each grate plate is provided with horizontally directed positioning pins 28 depending from each side flange 19, at midway positions lengthwise of the grate plates, these pins being arranged to engage holes 30 in the forward beam 13. A depending boss 32 is provided on the underside of the base plate 23 midway between the side flanges 25 and near the rear edge of said base plate, which boss terminates in a horizontally directed holding pin 31. The holding pin 31 is arranged to enter the hole 33 in the rear beam 12, being fixed thereto by holding means, which may in the form of a tapered crescent-shaped key 35 fit over the projecting end 36 of the holding pin 31, the pin being provided with a keyway 37 which engages the lower edges of the hole 33, this producing a crescent-shaped space between the upper pin surface and the margins of the hole 33 which receives the key 35, to securely hold the grate plate on the frame.

Other means for securing the holding pin 31 to the support frame may be employed. One alternative structure for securing the grate plate 16A to the frame is shown in FIG. 4, in which instead of the holding pin 31 on the underside of each grate plate, there is provided a downwardly directed tab member 41 having a horizontally directed hole 42 therethrough, aligned with the hole 33 of the rear beam 12 of the frame, there being also provided a threaded pin 43, a washer 44 and two nuts 45 for securely holding the plate to the frame.

The base plate 23 is provided with holes for cooling air, and these may :be distributed over the entire surface of the base plate, or any selected lesser portion thereof. On the underside of the plate 23 there is preferably an integral reinforcing grid structure which not only more evenly distributes the cooler air, but also prevents the Warping of the plate by mechanically strengthening it, and also by causing more rapid transfer of the heat (from the clinker passing over the plate) to the cooling air delivered to the underside of the plate and out through the orifices 24.

By the preferred structure or the alternative holding structure described and shown, the combination of the simplified grate frame and the non-Warping cantilevered grate plates provides a cooler which functions for long periods of time, and, when necessary, the replacement of defective grate plates is greatly facilitated, thus reducing the shut-down time for the cooler.

We claim:

1. A cement clinker cooler structure of the type in which there are cross rows of overlapping grate plates which rows are alternately fixed and movable forwardly and rearwardly to produce a flow of clinker through said cooler comprising (1) an elongated unitary cast steel frame for holding a cross row of grate plates; and (2) a plurality of cantilevered non-Warping unitary cast alloy steel grate plates removably attached to said frame and cantilevered from said frame in down stream direction for approximately half their length;

said frame comprising two spaced-apart beam members with stilfeners disposed between said beam members, said beam members having horizontal holes therethrough in position to receive positioning and holding pins extending rearwardly from the underside of said grate plates; said grate plates each having a smooth top surface with holes for cooling air extending therethrough, and each plate having downwardly extending strengthening flanges on the side edges and on the front edge thereof, and each plate having horizontally disposed positioning pins attached to and depending from said side flanges, and a central holding means depending from the underface of said plate, said positioning pins being directed rearwardly and adapted to enter corresponding holes in said forward beam members, and said central holding means being positioned to coincide with a horizontal hole in said rear beam of said frame; and means for removably securing said central holding means on said grate plate to said rear beam member.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, in which said central holding means on said grate plate consists of horizontally and rearwardly directed pin member depending from the underface of said plate and adapted to enter a corresponding hole in said rear beam member.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, in which said central holding means on said grate plate consists of a downwardly directed tab member having a horizontally directed hole therethrough aligned with a hole in the rear beam member; and in which said securing means consists of a threaded pin through said holes, and nuts thereon on the outer ends of said pin.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,321,845 5/1967 Boron 34--l64 JOHN J. CAMBY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 263-32 

